R.A.i.R. Works 40

Selected Alumni from Forty Years of the Roswell Artist-in-Residence Program

November 3–December 29, 2007

For forty years the Roswell Artists-in-Residence Program has supported visual artists from across the United States and the globe. Isolated in southeastern New Mexico, the residency provides year-long support away from the demands and distractions of the urban world while encouraging the free exploration of new directions in contemporary art. Curated by Stephen Fleming, R.A.i.R. Program Director, the exhibition features twelve nationally and internationally renowned artists who live in or have ties to New Mexico: Stuart Arends, Eddie Dominguez, Stephen Fleming, Cristina González, Scott Greene, Diane Marsh, Frank McCulloch, Mollie Oblinger, Robert ParkeHarrison, David Politzer, Josh Rose and Raissa Venables.

Stephen Fleming says, “Roswell is remotely located, away from the trends and noise of our cultural capitals and provides the artists an opportunity to look inwardly, over an entire year, at the sources of their vision and the reach of their talents. The Program is solely dedicated to the development of the individual artist. Production of artwork is seen as a by product of creative introspection, not as an end in itself. The goal of the Program is to be as free of institutional rigmarole as humanly possible. Those artists who immerse themselves undertake a long process of personal discovery and it is hoped, a stronger connection to the sources of their personal vision.”

R.A.i.R. Works 40 is one of two concurrent exhibitions showcasing New Mexico programs that support professional working artists from around the world. There will be an opening reception for R.A.i.R. Works 40 and Loosely Joined Saturday, November 3rd from 6–8pm.